Guns & Roses: The Counterplay
by KazRed
Summary: What if everything you've fought for ended up being for nothing? What if everything you've worked on up 'til now, was just a cold plan to get you prepared? What if a power so great left you feeling... Powerless? You scream. You survive. You adapt. You fight. You counterplay. Besides, you have a gun for a reason. Part of the Guns and Roses Trilogy, T, R&R. Coverart by me.
1. As Saints, We Rise

**What is happening, guys? Yes, this is the third new and improved instalment of the Guns & Roses series. Thanks a lot to everyone who's supported the original G&R and its sequel, Chaos & Bloodshed. If it wasn't for all the reviews, views, follows and faves, this wouldn't have happened. And a massive shout out to my Saints Row family over at Third Street Authors.**

 **So, I can finally present this story to you, I dearly hope you guys Enjoy Reading! ;)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any character from the Saints Row series. Except for my own, and I own a lot. And what a better way to start this, but with a flashback into the present. Inception? I think so.**

 **DISCLAIMER II: And I just realised that since Nathan is voiced by Troy Baker, it makes imagining how he sounds while saying his dialogue even more pleasing.**

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Chapter One: As Saints, We Rise

Amber hesitantly backed away from the edge of the destroyed building, cuts on her face and the cold sheen in her eyes representing the battle she fought. And the battle she won with the Saints. Fires blazed, sparks flew and shells decorated the floor, droplets of gold and silver. She let out a sharp breath, before combing her hair from her face.

An ex-Ultor figure was barely conscious on the floor with another hugging her for dear life, tears running down her face. Most of the Saints were on scouting duty, searching for every orange-wearing prick and evacuating everyone else to safe points across the city, but even with this war done there was still work to be done. Especially after Kilbane almost dropped a nuke on this place. As always. Canada was still clutching at the bullet wound in her arm but the injury didn't stop her from walking up beside Amber, her teeth barred and eyes slightly cloudy. "It's over. We... We did it. We won..."

"Yeah..." Amber replied, glancing over at Canada before returning her sight to the burning horizon, nothing but scraped, abandoned metal, silent streets and dilapidated structures to taint the scenery. "We did...we saved Steelport."

"Huh... Who would've guessed..."

"... I know, right?"

"And Ultor's done..."

"Cheer up, Leigh," came Nathan's voice and she couldn't help the smirk of her face as he walked up to her left side, arms crossed over his chest. Like everyone else, his skin expressed his battle, with dirt, blood and sweat everywhere. "We'll fix this. We always do."

 **We weren't someone you'd want to talk with or talk to, or someone you'd share your lunch with. We were guys with blood dripping somewhere in our timeline, with scars that slashed across a certain day, month and year. With a history that always twisted one way or another. None of us can try and claim we're perfect, because we're not.**

 **But I knew from the moment I saw purple, we weren't gonna be some international gang/superstars.**

 **We were gonna be more than that. We were a family diverse in more ways that anyone could possibly imagine. We laugh together, we die together, we kill together.**

 **We survive together.**

 **As saints, we rise from the ashes.**


	2. Reality

**I'll note now that a couple of these chapters are from the previous Counterplay, but with slight, necessary adjustments. Like this one; I actually wasn't gonna post it but then I'd make a plot-hole so… Enjoy Reading…? :)**

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Chapter Two: Reality

Amber gently stopped her white and purple Sovereign in front of the HQ, pulling up the hand-brake and sighing as she turned the keys and stepped out of the car. She went for a casual look; a dark beanie, dark purple Volition Skull tee, jean shorts with a chain hanging on the waistband and white Heydays. The skies over Steelport was cloud-free and The New Era was nowhere to be found, not after Amber's vengeful demolition. It was finally their city again and she can roam around, not really giving a fuck. It's been about 4 years, what's to worry about?

She walked around the front of the car, grinning as a familiar figure exited the lobby and winked at her. Laughing, she opened the passenger door and undid the seatbelt that had her little boy strapped securely onto the chair and picked him up with her predominant hand, closing it with the other. "Hey, baby," she heard him say, feeling soft lips press against her cheek and she blushed slightly.

"Hey, Nate. How's Hunter?"

"Oh, buddy's been sick all morning." He forwarded the back of the vehicle and opened the boot, taking what was inside. "Guessing my little man had fun, eh?"

"Oh, he did. Didn't you sweetie?"

"Yeah!" Taylor Dante Collins called out, stretching his arms in the air and Nathan let a smile mess up his serious features.

"Aw. At least he had fun while you were stressing out."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"What's in this bag?" He asked her, holding up the black paper shopping bag, marking the initials 'H&D'.

"That's from Xavier. He came back from the military... He wanted to see Dante."

"Wha–no fair! And you couldn't invite me?!"

"Who else was gonna look after Hunter? Pierce is scared of him because every time he attempts to hold him, he's blowing raspberries. Not those small ones either, but the full-on splatter of saliva in his face. And he's only 3 and a half."

He chuckled as he stepped away from the car, the boot shutting by itself and the whole car giving off this locking sound when Amber pressed a button. "Josh?"

"Terrible with babies. And he's a goddamn method actor."

"True... Oleg?" She stopped in her tracks and waited until Nathan noticed she wasn't by his side, and spun around.

She advanced through the lobby with him, calling the elevator and it jingled, "That Russian Superman will end up crushing my child. Or probably eat him. He looks like he eats cars anyway."

"Kinzie?"

"And destroy my children's lives?"

"What about Shaundi?"

"Too busy fu–uh, playing naked twister with random guys. I'm still surprised she hasn't caught anything yet."

"That girl's sly, I'll tell you that. Zimos?"

"That auto-tuned voice of his will end up becoming their lullaby."

"Okay, okay. What about Jon?"

"Jon? Jon's here?"

"Yeah, he just came back from Egypt. He's with Hunter; the guy's a natural."

"And it seems so," she gestured with her head as the door opened and in their way was a slender Canadian man with a light-skinned toddler, sucking his pacifier, in his arms. The resemblance was astounding, his grin big but cute, dimple on his left cheek, black hair curly and the trademark purple eyes that actually did run through the family. The only difference was the freckles on his cheeks.

"Hey, Amber! You're looking great. Don't tell me; it's your hair."

She giggled, "Don't push it, you. So, how's my baby been doing?"

"Actually," Nathan interrupted. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. Had a bath, ate some glorious chocolate cake–"

"Wasn't talking about you, Nate."

"Rude, much."

"Well, his temperature is going down and he's been more active than before. I'm guessing he'll be better in a couple days... Do you mind if my bro and I can talk?"

"He's all yours." She pecked her husband's cheek, excusing herself as she took the shopping bags and slipped past the two Saints, heading upstairs. "Jerry?" She called out, placing her child on the bed and the bags on the floor, and a figure exited the bathroom.

"Yeah?" The American man asked, grinning back at Dante who suddenly squealed and clapped his hands in excitement.

"Can you look after Taylor for... At least half an hour, an hour-ish? I need to go back out there with Caiden."

"Did someone call me?" A calming voice said and she turned, his head popping into the bedroom.

"Yes, Ace. I need you to come with me. Kinzie's got a prototype bike that needs to be examined. And I think you might like it."

"I'll be in your Sovereign then." He slipped back out and Amber sighed, spinning on her heels to kiss her little man on the nose.

"Bye, mummy!" Dante said, flexing and relaxing his fingers in a way of saying goodbye and she grinned in experiencing such cuteness. Jogging down the stairs, she saluted Nathan and Jon, Hunter had fallen asleep on his daddy's shoulder, before jumping in the elevator, hitting the last button.

It suddenly went pitch black and a little camera appeared overhead, becoming eye level with Amber. "Configuration..." The metal box spoke with a female, robotic voice, similar to that of the VTOL's, as it scanned her eye and as soon as it did, the walls of the elevator changed. It showed the weather, time and date on one side and the latest news on another. "Amber-Leigh Collins."

"Hey, Sia," she greeted the talking elevator as she swiped down on the news wall to glimpse at different articles and flicked away stuff she didn't want to read.

"Oh, hi. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"For an AI, pretty good. Seems like you're taking Ca-1 with you. Don't you think he's hot?"

"Have a crush on him?"

"No, I'm just... Just asking."

"To be honest, he is quite hot for a cyborg. Thanks to Nexus, he's actually the first cyborg the company has made that has synthetic skin, which is actually quite fascinating. I mean, it looks real, feels real, but he can harden it. It's pretty cool seeing bullets bounce off his skin."

"I know..."

"For a bot with a melancholic voice, you sound kinda depressed." Amber jolted in her space and banged her head on the door, a curse seeping out of her mouth as she tried to gain her balance. "What the fuck man!"

"Depressed? Of course I'm depressed! Why can't I be like him?"

"You're more an AI than a physical cyborg, meaning you were born from data while Caiden was constructed from a brain. Making parts last weeks and getting them fitted even longer. And damn! At least warn me when the ride's gonna get rough."

"How?"

"Holographic warning sign saying, oh I don't know, prepare for impact?"

"Sorry... Shouldn't have done that."

She changed the subject swiftly, "Whoa, Maple's in the news?!"

"Yeah, everyone's excited about Lost in Time since the lead lieutenants of the Saints got a cameo in it. I feel so happy for Canada, she got her own game. And plus, Ryder's kinda awesome."

"And Livewire. Livewire was awesome. Mainly because I was her..." She purposely cleared her throat as soon as she hit the second sentence and Sia started laughing and my God, wasn't that the most scariest laugh.

"With the green hair and the radioactive symbol going on, yeah, I think she's okay."

"Okay? Okay?! Her clothes are sexy as hell!"

"She's barely in clothes."

"That's the whole point!"

"Sometimes, I wonder about you Amber."

"Doesn't anyone?" The doors opened and they shared a laugh, sighing in unison when they finished. "I'll see you, Sia."

"You too. Take care." The former smiled as she stepped into the lobby and out of the building, a wolf whistle just about reaching her ears and she glared up at a group of oddly calm fans, who she couldn't help but wave to. The door to her Sovereign unlocked without gesture and she blinked, realising 'Ca-1' had taken the driver seat, his forearm casually draped over the wheel. Smiling, she hopped in and glared at the cyborg, whose clear, pure light blue eyes told her that he was ready to depart.

As soon as he found his focus and pushing down the handbrake, his eyes narrowed on a particular vehicle and Amber, as normal beings would do, tried to also place her attention on what the hell he was staring at. "Caiden...?"

Her phone buzzed and she steadily stole it from her pocket, diving deeper into the device until she found the alert.

 _A better life is what you need, Collins._


	3. Blood On Steel

**Hi, again! Yeah, I had to split C2 because it was waaaaaay too long (2k+), so… Yep. enjoy Reading! :)**

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Chapter Three: Blood on Steel

"This doesn't feel right," Caiden told her, the strain of steel in his tone as he gripped the wheel tighter.

"What doesn't?"

"You see that black and orange car?" Amber discreetly examined the said car, windows tinted the darkest black but orange logo shining brighter than headlights in the night. That logo... Damn, it looked so familiar.

"Yeah, I see it."

"It'd arrived when I got in. Nobody got in, nobody got out."

"Whoever's in that car's planning something." She leaned back, propping her arm up on the car door. "Let's go." Performing a quick u-turn, silver eyes kept their eyes on the side mirror as they watched the black car pull out.

Staring hard at the glove box, she placed her palm on it and waited for it to identify her unique hand print, and it clicked, the door lolling down and she grinned in pure euphoria. Long time since she's used these babies.

Her small but slender fingers reached into the compartment and coiled around her diamond-encrusted Shepherds, the feeling of cold metal touching her skin causing the thrill to become limitless. "Hope my aim is still fine... What am I saying? It's bloody perfect."

The speed of the Sovereign was gaining and gaining fast, the black car picking up speed also and Caiden peered at the rear-view, rolling his shoulders.

"Ready."

"Go."

The leading car swerved around others, not caring if angered horns emitted from the metal bellies and besides, they had other plans. Amber put a foot under her, stuck her arms and head out the open window and fired, several bullets hitting the windscreen but not breaking it. Knowing that her hat would fall, she whipped it off her head and went back to shooting while Caiden handled the driving.

He was pretty skilled, skidding out of the way of incoming and ongoing traffic, ramming a slow-ass Emu off the road and using the environment as distractions. Finding the first road he saw, he slammed down on the brake hard, the car's wheels burning out as it slid onto the right side of the road. The black car started returning fire and Amber ducked out of instinct, getting her trigger finger do the work as she blindly attacked them. "Who are they?" She asked, reloading with quick timing before repeating the routine.

"Pricks," he simply answered, growling when it came up beside them and the window vanished inside the door. Amber blinked, there was nobody inside.

"Wait, what?"

"Shoot them!"

"There's nobody there, Caiden."

"To you, there isn't." He took one of her hands and directed her gun to the interior, shooting nothing but air, twice. But figures were revealed, with holes in their heads and the car slowed down, her face appearing puzzled. "Stealth camo..."

"I thought only we have it."

"Not any more." She put her guns back in the glove box and sighed, only realising now how fast they were.

"Okay, Caiden, you can slow down now."

"I'm... Not driving this car." His hands lost grip to the wheel as it turned on its own, the pedals being pressed down by air and Amber looked behind her, another black car on their tail.

"Fuck me, there was more?!" She placed her hand on the compartment again, only this time, the door didn't unlock and she cursed again, thumping her fists in anger. She held her head in her palms and counted to 10, slowly, her stress ball wasn't near. She wasn't stressed out but this pissed her off.

She wore a calm face when she reached 10 and sat up, Caiden finally able to speak after that long silence. But he didn't speak in his indoor voice but screamed "We're headed for the construction site!"

"Shit!" She shouted, unable to stop what was about to happen. She caught a glimpse of a truck carrying metal poles of front of them, some of them sticking out in a hazardous way and she attempted to open the door, Caiden helping her. But it was too late, the car impacted the back of the truck hard, one of the poles skewering Amber to her chair and glass turned into shards, the car behind making matters worse by crashing into them. Her body bucked forward, strong enough to hit her eye on another item the truck was carrying and her right hand grazed rough against the shards, and when the whole scene registered, she went into panic mode.

She felt warm blood drool down her cheek and brought her hand to her face, her eyebrow was slit wide open and left her vision in a red haze. "Help..." She faintly called out, holding the pole with her free hand and peering over to the driver's seat. His injury wasn't as bad as hers; a pole went through his bicep and he winced in agony, clutching his arm.

She coughed harshly, fresh crimson spraying out of her throat and she breathed, clearing her head but it was the pain. Every nerve became bombs exploding as fast as the blood pumping through her body and spilling out her wounds, it fucking hurt. Then she couldn't breathe, one of her lungs punctured by the pole and coughed even more, almost choking. She made an effort to pull herself off the pole but stopped, her right hand numb and looking a bloody mess. She turned to her driver again, his clear blue eyes filled with regret, anger and grief.

"I'm...so sorry, Amber," she heard him say and her head collapsed back onto the headrest, guns with flashlights pointing directly at her nose. That was the last thing Amber-Leigh saw, before her body collapsed and darkness engulfed her whole.


	4. Golden

**What about a change of perspective? Yeah, I was getting bored so why not a freebie chapter? You're welcome. Enjoy Reading! :)**

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Chapter Three: Golden

The woman with the golden eyes sat upon her glass office desk at the top of the Ultor skyscraper, another feminine frame in tight grey behind her; hands interlinked behind her back with a streamlined, digital mask that hid her identity. She was a new product of Ultor, a being capable to total destruction with a simple order. With her memory suppressed thanks to a serum made to enhance her physical condition, Zero had no problem following a direct order. It's what she lived for: order. And the woman with the golden eyes made it so. She had nothing to live for, and made her purpose in life to kill for Ultor, survive for Ultor and fight for Ultor.

"Zero, I would like you to do something for me." Zero stepped forward, her steps not making a single sound, and when the woman with the golden eyes looked off her shoulder, she flinched. "Hey! I know you're silent and all, but at least let me know you're behind me."

" **Understood** ," she spoke in a nonchalant tone, void of emotion, although tweaked with a voice modulator that gave her voice a demonic hum.

"That's better... I guess the whole process worked with you... But with Gat..." The woman with the golden eyes shook her head. "Never mind. I shouldn't even be talking to you about that since you won't remember it tomorrow."

" **I wasn't made to remember. Only obey.** "

"Now that's a good Zero. If only Vinie complied like you... But she's the strongest Ultor has ever had, other than that bleached blue runaway. Both the living personifications of brawn, brains and beauty combined...flawlessly. And to think dark childhoods could harden people so effectively. You can mould them into anything, even a killer like yourself. Void of..." A Masako agent walked in, bowing respectfully as he stopped in the middle of the massive room but stepped back in shock as he found Zero in front of him with a modified pistol to his throat. He didn't even have time to say what he wanted to say, or realise how incredibly silent her steps were. "Whoa! The hell are you doing? Stand down, Zero."

" **I was given orders to kill this man.** "

"Why? He just walked through the bloody door. I bet he was just about to ask what pizza I wanted..."

" **He's the mole you were looking for.** "

"Oh?"

" **I see the data from his visual and audio feed. He's been giving information to the international establishment, Nexus Inc...** " Zero pressed the muzzle deeper into his throat, the Masako making no attempt to move a muscle, for he knew just how dangerous she was.

"That Alpha is taking care of... Okay. You can kill him." Zero let out a small but sweet chuckle as she withdrew the gun from his neck and, with a quick flick of her wrist, punched him square in the throat with power enough to crush his trachea. The agent threw his hands up to his neck and clutched it, his respiration sounding like a low whistle as his throat began to tighten. He didn't notice Zero picking him up until he was too late, her hand around his throat as his screams resonated around the marble room. With a squeeze, his screaming stopped and his head dropped alongside his arms and legs, the sign of death apparent as Zero heard his heartbeat slow. One less arrogant android to worry about.

"Well, aren't you... something else."

"You told me to kill him," Zero dully replied, casually dropping the android's body. " **So I killed him.** "

"Why didn't you just shoot him in the face?"

" **He has valuable data stored in his visor. It would be wise to salvage as much as we can before it becomes corrupted by the failsafe.** "

"You're more interesting than I thought Zero," the woman with the golden eyes said, slowly walking towards her before carefully wrapping her arms around her waist. "I hope we can stay together forever..."

" **If that is your wish.** "

"My wish..." The pressure of the hug was tightened but Zero made no attempt to respond with a similar gesture; emotions were something human.

And Zero was something less.


	5. Offline

Chapter Five: Offline

I stood by the window with Hunter in my arms, Dante too busy pretending to be a plane and circling the massive room to realise something was wrong. Caiden and Amber weren't back yet and it's been hours. It's normal for a husband to become worried sick about their wife not returning home and I was starting to wonder whether she was alright. What if something bad had happened to her...? I chuckled, fuck no. If that was the case, I wouldn't be here standing like a lost child. I sighed, leaving the city's beautiful view behind me and walked across the room, planting myself onto the grey sofa and placing Hunter on my lap with a smile ruining my frowning face when he snuggled against my chest.

The TV had suddenly turned on and I brought my attention to the screen, Sia's voice lighting up the room and INCOMING CALL flashing in purple. "Collins, Kinzie's on the line."

"Put her on." At once, the screen's pixels had changed, revealing the redhead on the other end of the line in a ripple of white. "What's up, Kinz?"

"Caiden and Amber...they haven't arrived."

"What do you mean they're not there?"

"I've been waiting for the past five hours and nobody has arrived yet. And I need an android to test drive my prototype."

"Well, they're not here, that's for sure."

"Amber's last location is Henry Steel Mills. From there, she hasn't moved an inch. And Caiden seems to have lost connection to the Saints' mainframe too. Shit..."

"Kinzie, language. I have children." It felt nice saying that, and what perfect children I have indeed.

"Sorry, but guess what I just found?"

The door to my bedroom burst open and in came Pierce and Shaundi, a black-framed tablet in the woman's grip with some sort of video on it. "Boss," he said to me as she handed me the device. "You can't believe what we just found out." I glanced at the TV and Kinzie rolled her eyes.

I stared hard at the screen, Jane Valderamma, our news reporter friend, being the main target. But then she started speaking and what flooded out of her mouth shocked me to the core. "...Several hours ago, a purple and white Sovereign had crashed into a construction site in Henry Steel Mills, the last people inside being Amber-Leigh Collins, the leader of the 3rd Street Saints' wife, and their android, Caiden Ace."

"What?" I tried to ask the tablet but obviously, I got nothing but continued dialogue.

"With their bodies somewhat gone from the wreckage, evidence is to be collected and analysed, although some spectators say that a black and orange car had forced the Saints vehicle into the truck of death. This is Jane Valderamma, with your Steelport crash site news report."

"Amber's...gone?"

"She shouldn't be far," the youthful voice from the TV spoke, my head craning to stare at Kinzie. "She's not off grid, just offline. But her phone has been compromised and whoever has it is stopping me from determining her location. It's sending me all over the place."

"Wait, hold up," Pierce started, holding a finger in the air. "Orange? What's associated with orange, Boss?"

I thought about that one hard. Cheese. Well, some cheeses are orange but I'm guessing that's the wrong answer. Okay, where have I seen orange? Well, I hate orange so I say rarely. I gave up, "I've gone blank."

Pierce clapped his hands once, about to blurt out the answer but Shaundi cut him off nicely. "Ul-"

"It's Ultor."

"Girl...you know I was gonna say it first."

"You know you were too slow."

"Okay, guys, can we cut this out?" I didn't want to shout because my children were watching me, I didn't need to because they know how angry I can get without even having to kill anyone. When I get angry, I get angry. Enough said. "We now have other problems; it seems like Ultor has invited themselves into Steelport."

"So, what, we go back to Stilwater?"

"No point," Pierce pointed out. "They must've moved here to distract us from something, right?"

"Or maybe their want our attention."

"Or maybe," little miss I-Haven't-Got-Laid-Yet blurted out. I'm starting to wonder if she'll ever get laid. With all that kinky shit she's into, I wouldn't be surprised if she's gotten laid than more than all of us combined. "They want revenge for the Saints causing their name to almost be forgotten."

"What? Why?"

"You guys have done a lot of stuff to hurt the corporation, even though they've partnered up with you to form the Saints/Ultor media group. Destroyed The Pyramid-"

"Hey, they deserved that! They tried to assassinate us." When I went into my second sentence, Hunter had started to lightly squeeze my cheek with his tiny hand. I snagged his palm and nibbled the skin, causing him to giggle. It's funny when he giggles, he got his contagious laughter from his mother.

"Killed the CEO."

"He was a douche."

"And now with another person in charge, Ultor's back on their feet and ready to make changes"

"Who's in charge?"

"I think you know him, Boss. A man by the name of Eddie Pryor." Blood had rushed from my face instantly. Killbane, that little scared fucker, was CEO of Ultor? The Ultor now in Steelport? Oh, I'm gonna enjoy killing his ass, one bullet at a time. From the look on my face, I can tell both Shaundi and Pierce knew exactly what I was thinking. Even though Hunter was making me look less serious.

Time to get serious payback.


	6. Ultor's Strongest

**Well, time to introduce two new side-characters. Hope you guys like them.**

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Chapter Six: Ultor's Strongest

"Amber... Amber! Don't you dare pass out on me. Understand?"

 **"C... Caid..."** Her voice was low and slurred, and by examining the blood leaking from the bandages on her scalp, she was suffering a concussion. Glassy eyes, tears streaming casually. She couldn't even speak his name without stumbling over it. Shit. This was serious.

"I promise we'll get outta this shit hole and back to HQ, but you gotta be strong. You just have to wait for me, okay?"

 **"C..."**

The android panted heavily and stared at his partner with pale blue eyes, hands restricted behind his back and lying down on the stained floor, next to Amber who was broken and bruised beyond repair. He knew she wasn't going to survive if this kept up, Ultor fucked with the wrong syndicate. He remembered this room like it was yesterday, bloodstained floor and walls, a shit bucket at the far side and no windows so you could choke on your own air. He was here 2 years ago, when he used to work for Ultor, beating someone's face irreparable for trying to place down stupid accusations.

At the wrong time, the steel door swung open and blinded her for a moment, the figure entering the musky room chuckling darkly under their breath. "Your turn, Ca-1." Roughly latching onto his arms, they hoisted him off the floor and onto his feet, noticing his sudden resistance as he pulled forward, his consciousness reaching out for Amber's. So close, yet so far.

"Amber? **Amber!** Wait for me, okay! I promise I'll come back for you! Just stay awake!" **I made a promise to the Saints,** he thought as a rock-hard fist smashed into her abdomen and forced him to double over in agony, a calm cry escaping his lips. A mark of his oath was tattooed on the nape of his neck, the fleur-de-lis.

In another room, the Masako agent that had been handling the Saint dropped him into the metal chair and snarled before stepping back, a woman appearing from behind him and making her way towards the android. "Since Amber wouldn't say anything from last interrogations, I'm having to get intelligence from you. So Caiden," she leaned in so closely, their noses were touching, but Caiden's expression didn't falter from calm. He blinked slowly, a cold, cutting edge gently stroked her cheek. "Baby...you don't want your beautiful face-"

"Fucking hate small talk..." he mumbled and looked down, loud enough so his interrogator could hear, and she flinched before stepping back.

"I've been told that you have information strictly against your parameters. Is that so?"

"Considering the fact that this is actually the third time I've stepped into this building, no. It isn't so."

"Don't fucking tease. Or do you want me to kill your girlfriend?"

Caiden almost laughed, "Wow, your predictions are shit. You'd be an awful psychic." The woman laughed, glaring at her blue-haired accomplice with blissful eyes, before landing a heavy punch to his face, splitting his lip.

"You sure you wanna do this, Caiden? I mean, if your girlfriend can't handle this, what's that saying?" Spitting out the coppery taste from his mouth, he cocked her head up at the man and admired her features. Short, honey-brown hair with the bangs clipped back. He could imagine how soft it was. Intense, coral eyes and sunkissed skin, piercings on her face and tatted tear drops on her cheeks. Even her smile was gorgeous. Such a shame he was gonna kill her though.

Just when the interrogator was about to ask another snarky question, her blue-haired friend rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, fuck this." She jumped back and twisted her body, her heel of her Koala Kiks crunching into the gut of a Masako agent, and he bent over just for his visor to meet her knee. The other standing by the door didn't have time to react as she punched his visor, the glass shattering on impact and scarring his emotionless face, before turning into him and flipping him over her hip where the honey-haired woman landed the finishing blow by striking his jaw. The pop of cartilage was all they needed to be sure of his death, his body collapsing onto the floor.

"The hell, Vinie," Neon said, shaking off the blood dripping from her hand while Vinie rubbed her head in embarrassment. And to believe that Ultor's strongest were standing before him, the air letting off that scent of something unachievable by every other person in this entire building, even the CEO. And what was that? Unwavering drive. "You take your acting way too seriously."

"What? No I don't."

"You **punched** Caiden in the face."

"But that idiot on the floor did too."

"Yeah, and now his spine's broken along with his pride. You really need to take some classes."

"Yeah, yeah...need to take some classes, fuck you."

"Please," Caiden intervened. "She's suffering from a concussion and internal bleeding. She won't survive for more than 15 minutes if she's kept like this. Please..."

Vinie and Neon looked at each other for a moment, before the Latina nodded once and moved. Witnessing the woman's prowess as she swung open the steel door with ease and melted into the shadows, his attention was brought onto his creator who had whipped out a knife from her back pocket. Attending to the material wrapped around his wrists, she moved the small blade and the pressure vanished almost instantly. Just when he rubbed away the soreness, she was already by the desk, putting something in her hand before showing him.

"Urm, what is that?"

"It's your own health kit in a pill. Speeds up cell regeneration when you get injured. Aren't I just the best creator ever?"

"It's hard to take you seriously when you sound sarcastic."

"Well, you wouldn't be the first to say that. So," she started as she handed him the little pill and he threw it in his mouth, his tongue already tingling. "How are you?"

"Fine, actually."

"And the Saints," she moved from him. "How do they treat you? Do I need to kick someone's ass down there?"

"And start a war? **Noo.** No. They, well, actually...whoa, this pill works...they treat me like family."

"Your code?"

"Fight to protect."

"At least you're not failing on me...but, what are you doing here?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you."

"Huh..." Neon tapped something on her waistband and holographic screens flashed to life, showing her the sign-ins and sign-outs of every Ultor figure, the times in which they arrived and departed and also which room. She raised her brow when a familiar name popped up. "H-Hey, Vin, you need help in here? Vin? What's-"

Vinie emerged with Amber, a neglected ragdoll, in her arms with her eyes fixated on her face, swollen and beaten. The wrist that was once upon a time injured was actually popped out of place, her hand now hanging by the muscle and not the joint. Vinie took that into account. "Who did this? Who beat up Amber Collins? We were told not to touch her, so who the fuck disobeyed?"

"Last person with authorised access was Vanessa, but the mainframe indicates that she's already left with Alpha."

"That prick? She fucking touched Amber? Does she want to die? I'm pretty sure she's asking me to kill her..." She trailed off as she heard Amber exhale slowly and, thanks to Neon's teachings, instantly knew what that was. "Shit. Where's the breathing mask? She's stopped breathing."

"It's not on this floor, that's for sure. We have four minutes until she falls under cardiac arrest... Caiden, how many?" The blonde-haired android blinked once, the change to his visual spectrum allowing him to spot people through walls thanks to perfected backscatter.

"4 on the left, 3 on the right, and 1 straight ahead." Neon reached for the padded gauntlets hanging off her waistband, before bashing her fists together to activate the mechanism that sent electricity through the metal knuckles.

"Our main priority is Amber-Leigh Collins. We have less than four minutes..."

"Finally, I can kick some actual ass," Vinie grinned as she handed the Saint over to Caiden and rolled up her sleeves.

"But, you do know you two are defecting...right?" The British side-glanced at the Colombian.

"We always were defective," Vinie said, pivoting her body with her kicking leg behind her whilst Neon prepared behind her, rolling her shoulders and clicking her stiff neck. "Ultor's just afraid of losing their strongest assets."

"They always have been," Neon added. "Tried to leave once, gave me complete access to their tech. Give us 30 seconds."

"Hmph. Thought you'd be quicker than that."

"They'll be lucky if they even survive."

Caiden only smiled as Vinie's boot ripped the door from its hinges and knocked an android off his feet, and within moments he found himself sprinting to the elevator with Vinie coming up from behind him, Neon smacking her back into the elevator wall as the doors closed thanks to her AI.

"Echo, total override." She waited momentarily for the panel above the buttons to change colour, and software, and only a pair of green eyes could be seen. Caiden was always impressed by his creator's skills, it never ceased to amaze him with how much she could do. Being able to create a software capable of full access to a high-security bank in less than a minute while peacefully throwing the whole company and the law off-course was something only done by Neon.

"Overridden."

"Take over floor 17. And set the androids to default and erase their memory storage of the minute, we don't want any witnesses."

A robotic yet realistic chuckle. "Affirmative."


	7. Burn

Chapter Seven: Burn

It's been two days since Amber hasn't returned and, now that Nathan knew who the main culprit of the ambushed kidnapping was, he's got Kinzie and Jeremy working overtime to find her. Everyone else was doing all they could to get information about Ultor, what they were planning, but mostly to avoid catching a glimpse of his silent wrath. Nathan was known to scream, break shit and lash out when he's angry...but he just felt so empty, it burned. It was happening all over again. Lin, Carlos, Gat, Sharron and now Amber. It felt like a bad omen.

It was a weird feeling, something he couldn't explain. Something intangible. It was an easy feeling to catch, but a difficult one to lose. And it burned him, scorching heat spilling in his blood and his heart was ablaze, beating so fast he wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly passed out.

But he didn't, because at the same time his mind was telling him things, encouraging, positive things. **Amber's okay. Caiden is putting his life on the line to protect her. You will see her soon. But if they put a mark on her, you have my permission to kick someone's ass. You can't think like that right now, and I know it hurts, but stay strong. Amber did the same for you, while pregnant, with twins, which is still hard to believe after 4 years. You have a family to protect now, so you can't just think about yourself anymore.**

 **That includes the Saints.**

His head broke the surface of the water, his robust shoulders and chest following as he climbed the steps out of the pool. He heard someone enter his presence but he ignored them, stripping the towel off the chair and drying his hair with it. He had to guess it wasn't Pierce or Shaundi, considering they'd start the conversation carefully like "Boss..." or "Look..." since they knew him too well to even approach him in this state in the first place. It was probably―

"Pissed, are we?" Canada. How subtle.

"Not now―"

"What, are you gonna chicken out and not tell me what the fuck's going on... Or, which I think is a brilliant idea, do I have to remind you that by staying silent, you're not just hurting yourself, but everyone around you."

"Canada, seriously―"

"Seriously, what? Nathan, you don't think we haven't been through this too? You don't think we're not hurting?"

"It's not that I'm hurting," he said admittedly as he pulled the towel down to his shoulders, the British Saint catching onto his mannerisms as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'm worried..." A sigh. "When Sharron died, Amber changed. She wasn't herself anymore."

"Like you," Canada added, sauntering towards him. "Wearing a facade to hide your emotions to not let them hurt the people you care about. You bottle it and when nobody's looking, you let it out. You know your wrath is near uncontrollable, and you've been tested with how you manage certain situations."

"How did you...you some sort of wizard or..."

"It's something I caught off Jem; the whole reading thing...you started as a Saint, and suddenly you're weaving the world you wanted with your fingers."

"You really don't know, do you?"

"What? Know what?"

"It's not just Sharron's death but...Viola's disappearance. She's been trying to track her down since she vanished, and all the stress almost killed her. After her treatment, she's forgotten that Viola's left and I've had to lie, to my own wife, about where she is―"

"And 'til this day, every Saint is doing all they can to find her. We won't give up, the same as you won't give up on Amber. Don't forget what she did to you, did to us."

He sighed again, "There's some things not even I understand about Amber."

"Nathan..." Canada caught him off-guard with a hug, knocking him back a step, but he didn't even lift his arms because they were so tense with rage and...something else. "You need to understand that everyone is here for everyone, because we are family and nobody gets left behind no matter what."

"Canada―"

"And I need you to realise that whatever happens, what are we?"

"A team," he answered matter-of-factly.

"A team. Now, I suggest you check up on the minds of the team. I think they found something."

"I will..." Letting his anger fade away, his arms came up and Canada felt the pressure on her torso for a moment and smiled. "And thank you for somehow comforting me."

"Anything for someone who changed my life...and, hey, next time you attempt to act like a bitch, I will beat you up as one."

"...you're lucky I like you."

"Correction: I'm lucky you like my accent." They chuckled and Canada made her way inside the penthouse, and Nathan couldn't help but smile as he followed her in moments later.

OoOoO

"What's up?" The Boss asked Jeremy and Kinzie after finding a nice tee and some casual slacks to put on. Apparently having too many clothes actually makes it harder to decide what clothes you wanna wear.

"Well, we did some digging and found a link, well, two," Jeremy told him, pointing at the tablet beside him and Nathan picked it up almost reluctantly, the photos of a blue-haired woman ringing bells in the far corners of his mind.

"I remember her."

"I thought you would," Kinzie informed him, tapping more keys on her own laptop. "She's known as Neon, a British runaway with enough knowledge about cyberspace and technology to be able to destroy a major organisation without trying and even have access to the National Database."

"She's partnered up with one of our fellow industries, Nexus Inc. In fact, she's one of their execs."

"...that's the branding that Caiden has on his wrist," Nathan remembered and Jeremy nodded once.

"Exactly. With that being said, Neon would also have access to his protocols as well as us and, since she works for Ultor, there's no telling what's happening. I mean, she could be trying to manipulate him or―"

"No, Neon wouldn't do such a thing."

"Do you know her, boss?"

"Actually, yeah. We kinda go waaaay back, but she'll remember me...and probably punch me. Her punches hurt like hell."

"But here's where things get weird," the ex-FIA agent sent a different picture to the tablet Nathan was holding, this honey-haired woman with coral blue eyes, tatted teardrops and...seven piercings on her immediate face and collarbone.

"Wait...she looks like...Sharron―!"

"That's because that's her long-lost twin sister she kept talking about, Vinie Haven..." Jeremy chuckled once as their leader couldn't divert his eyes off the screen. "Scary, isn't it? The resemblance is pretty fucking close, even though Sharron couldn't remember what she actually looked like."

"Why's Vinie working for Ultor if Sharron was with us?"

"Her file states she grew up with a group called Alpha after she was abandoned by her parents when she was a little kid. Two decades pass, and she becomes, and I quote, 'the strongest Ultor has ever dealt with'."

"The strongest? It kinda sounds like an overstatement," Nathan spoke dully.

"I'll say...but that's not the problem. The problem is that―" Kinzie let out an irritated sound and her digits moved faster on the keyboard, but she was too late as her system was forced into a minor lockdown, and a pair of green eyes was the only thing on her dark screen.

"Sorry about the intrusion," a female, British voice said. "But saying that Vinie isn't the strongest would probably cost you your face, pretty boy."

"...Neon." Nathan smirked. "You're still alive."

"Collins. You're still an asshole."

"I knew you couldn't get rid of me."

"Maybe, but I wanted to tell you...show you the truth. It took me a while to hack into their databases, but I wanted to see it to believe it. And you're not gonna like it." Since the three were situated in Nathan's bedroom, the TV screen suddenly turned on and their eyes were drawn to it; it appeared to be a video that started with the words Operation: Clockwork in big letters and Level 9 Confidentiality written in red under it.

"Alpha," said a voice so calm, it actually surprised the three Saints watching. "This is your sworn duty, to provide a brighter future and a better life by any means necessary. Thanks to our new technology, we have been able to create the perfect soldier by the name of Zero. A person capable of anything if given a simple order. Using her as a conduit for the future, our goal is to protect this city, flush out all things tainted...and these, ah, so called Third Street Saints are the source of all impurities. They've managed to conquer both Stilwater and Steelport but, I can assure you, with their thorough eradication by your hand, Steelport can be free again. Although collecting data on every Saint was...rather complex to fulfil, there's one person I would like attained for further notice. I want Amber-Leigh Collins; she has something that belongs to me. As for the rest of them...well, you know what to do."

"That literally went from 1 to 100 real quick," the blonde-haired man frowned, leaning back on the sofa and scratching the back of his neck. "First, she talks about protection like some almighty god, then killing the Saints. Might I add specific instructions about Amber...whoever she is, she fits in somewhere..."

"Neon, who was that speaking?"

"Oh, you don't know her? Surprising...her name's Cynder, and she's the head of Ultor."

"What?" Kinzie exclaimed. "But Killbane―"

"Is a minor compared to her. She's the foundation Ultor stands upon. Without her, they're nothing."

"But aren't you Ultor?"

"Me? Ultor?" Neon chuckled. "No way. And besides, I fucking hate orange." Just like that the green eyes vanished as quickly as it appeared, and Nathan glared at the tablet screen, hard. Three names but only two he's familiar with. Cynder... Who was fuck was she, and why was she fixated on his wife so much? **If she even was to touch her, I'll** ―

"-ss? Boss?" Nathan regained his sense of reality and blinked once, Jeremy glancing up at him with hidden worry in his eyes. "What's our next move?"

"Jeremy, I need you finding out who this Cynder chick is―"

"On it."

"And Kinzie, on Alpha."

"Right."

"But what are you gonna do?"

"Me? I'm gonna go shopping."


End file.
